George w



(Modem G. W. sLEEPEE.

UPPER.

No. 475,619. Patented May 24, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT O EIcE.

GEORGE V. SLEEPER, OF NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS,- ASSIGNOR TO NORMAN L. MILLARD, OF SAME PLACE.

UPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,619, dated May 24, 1892.

Application filed January 27, 1891. Serial No. 379,310. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SLEEPER. a citizen of the United States, residing at North Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boots orShoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in the uppers of boots or shoes, theobject of the invention being to provide a simple and effective means for preserving the shape or crimp of the upper and preventing said upper from being distorted or deprived of its crimp when the leather becomes damp or moistened; and the invention therefore consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a boot or shoe upper provided with my improved stay for preserving the shape or crimp of the upper. Fig. 2 is aplan View of the inside of the material of the upper when spread out so as to be easily observed.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures.

Heretofore it has been found to be a very diflicult matter to maintain the shape or crimp imparted to the upper of the boot, shoe, or other foot-covering when the same is made, inasmuch as it has been found in the practical use of the boot or shoe the leather thereof oftentimes becomes damp or wetted either by the direct action of the water in contact therewith orby moisture from the foot, and the result of this dampening or wetting of the leather has usually been to injure the shape of the upper, oftentimes removing all of its original symmetryof form and giving it a careless appearance. My invention aims to overcome this difficulty by securing a stay or strip of strengthening or supporting material 011 the under side of the upper in and around underneath the same.

A denotes an example of the upperv of a boot, shoe, or other foot-covering, which upper may obviously be of any suitable kind, shape, and size adapted for use with any kind of a foot-covering, made of any material, and here given by way of example only. This upper A has been properly shaped or crimped, so that it may have the requisite form to adapt it to be suitably connected with the sole and other parts of the boot or shoe for use in connection with the same. This upper may belong to fine as well as heavy goods, as the invention is equally applicable to buttonboots, lace-boots, Congress, &c., and is especially adapted for boots or shoes having a seamless upper. The upper A shown in the drawings is of the kind usually termed seamless.

B designates the stay or supporting-strip. It may be made of any suitable material such as leather, stout drilling, or anything else.

It is firmly secured to the under side of the upper by stitching or other suitable means. The stay extends transversely across the upper over the instep and thence backward on each side toward the back seam of the boot or shoe, ending on each side usually at a point about to the ankle. The form of the stay B is clearly shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 1 it is observed how it extends backward and downward from the transverse portion thereof which lies over the instep and then runs back toward the ankle on each side. A strip of this kind which obviously may have any needed thickness and strength will serve to preserve the shape of the boot-upper and cause it to present a neat and symmetrical appearance at all times, and the upper after having once been properly crimped will not be susceptible to irregular changes of form and appearance whenever it happens to be dampened or wetted.

It will be noted particularly that the supporting stay or strip, since it passes transversely across the instep and then rearwardly on each side, is arranged in such a manner as to act to preserve the shape of the upper better than if it were arranged in any other way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A blank for a shoe or gaiter, comprising the rear quarters and the vamp, and the In testimony whereofI atfix my signature in crimpgd front quarters secured to the vamp presence of two witnesses. over '0 e instep and having on the inside a stay-piece attached to the erimped and front GEORGE SLEEPER 5 quarters for the purpose of holding the shape, Witnesses:

substantially as and for the purpose herein 0. K. MILLARD, described. B. E. LOWD. 

